Many patients do not ask for or get help because they have common misperceptions regarding pain control. Here are 10 reasons they do not seek pain relief:

• I will become addicted. Fear of addiction is very common for people who take narcotics, or opioid analgesics for pain relief. Drug addiction is defined as dependence on the regular use of opioid analgesics to satisfy physical, emotional, and psychological needs rather than for medical reasons. Pain relief is a medical reason for taking narcotics. Therefore, if you take opioid analgesics to relieve pain, you are not an "addict," no matter how much or how often medicines are taken. Drug addiction in cancer patients is rare, and almost never occurs in people who do not have a history of drug abuse prior to illness.

• I won't be able to handle the side effects of analgesics. Some people think pain relief medication will make them feel drowsy, dizzy, or not "themselves." Not everyone has side effects from analgesics. However, some of the more common ones are drowsiness, constipation, and nausea and vomiting. If you experience side effects from opioid pain relievers, they can usually be treated successfully.

• Pain is an inevitable consequence of cancer. There are many cancer patients who never experience pain. Most cancer pain can be relieved safely and effectively.

• I should be able to tolerate the pain. People's religious, moral, cultural, or family backgrounds can lead them to think that needing pain medication makes them weak. It is actually pain that can make a patient weak. Not only can pain weaken the body, it can also weaken the spirit.

• My doctor won't understand my pain. Some people are afraid health care professionals will think they are exaggerating the level of pain or are being too cowardly. It is a patient's right to receive assistance in pain management. In fact, if your doctor or nurse does not understand and control your pain, you may need to seek further assistance. "Your doctor's problem should not have to remain your problem," according to Karen Ogle, MD, Professor of Family Practice at the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University, and Director of Palliative Care Education and Research at the MSU Cancer Center.

• If I complain, I am not being a good patient. Some people are afraid of being a burden or nuisance if they talk about their pain. Understanding how bad pain is helps the health care professional decide how to treat it. You are the best judge of your pain, and the better you can describe it, the more helpful it will be. It may help to keep a record with ratings of pain and what is tried for pain relief. The record helps you and those who are caring for you understand more about the pain, the effects it has, and what works best to ease it.

• Pain means my cancer is getting worse. Some people think pain is a sign of deteriorating health. However, pain may occur at any time during the course of an illness, for any number of reasons. Pain may even occur for people whose condition is stable and whose life expectancy is long.

• If my doctor focuses on pain control, it will distract him/her from treating my cancer. Working on managing the pain will actually help improve your quality of life. In fact, chronic unrelieved pain can cause patients to reject their treatment programs.

• I will not be able to afford pain medication. Most health plans cover partial costs for prescription medications that are medically necessary. Check with the resources listed at the bottom of this article for assistance with medication costs. Use of a generic medication is an option in some situations for lowering costs. Many pharmaceutical companies have patient drug assistance programs to help with the costs associated with pain medication.

• I have too many pills to take as it is. Some people find it hard to remember to take all of their medications. Return of the pain is not the best reminder to take pain medication. It is important to try to prevent the pain before it starts or gets worse by using a pain-relief method on a regular schedule. If pain begins, do not wait for it to get worse before doing something about it.

• Causes of Pain
• Choices of Pain Control
• Easing Cancer Pain
• Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
• American Academy of Pain Management
• American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives Resource Center
• American Chronic Pain Association
• American Pain Society